Torrington teen convicted in robbery trial, could face deportation

LITCHFIELD >> Six jurors convicted a Torrington teen, William Castillo, 18, of first-degree attempted robbery with a dangerous instrument and second-degree robbery.Castillo now could be deported as a result of his conviction, his attorneys said after the verdict was announced.The jury of five women and three men deliberated just a few hours on Wednesday before convicting the former Torrington High School football player, who was charged after Torrington Police accused him, two fellow former football players and two more teens of jumping from a moving vehicle to assault and steal cash from three 14-year-old boys.Castillo's codefendants and former teammates include Jeffrey Holder, 19, and 2012 most valuable player Edgar Gonzalez, 18.Holder is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18 after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery charges. Prosecutors dropped several charges against Holder. Now-convicted Gonzalez is serving six years in prison of a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree robbery and, in an unrelated case, second-degree sexual assault charges.“We really feel there was disputed evidence,” said Jason M. Lipsky, of Waterbury, one of Castillo's two defense attorneys, about a “foot-long” flathead screwdriver allegedly used during the robbery but never recovered by police. “We're just disappointed the jury didn't see it our way,” said Lipsky.Prosecuting state's attorney Terri Sonnemann, however, argued that Castillo's behavior in the assault, “isn't a goof.”“This is a crime,” she said during closing arguments, Wednesday. “One week shy of 17 [years old], three on three, this is the defendant's idea of a good time on Friday night,” said Sonnemann, describing the assault.Aside from the possibility Castillo faces 30 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 20, Castillo is likely to face immigration consequences as well as a result of the convictions.“Part of the reason that we went to trial is because it was the only option we had,” said Ioannis “John” Kaloidis, part of Castillo's defense team. “The only plea options that were acceptable to the state and the court would have resulted in his deportation, so we wanted to do everything we could to try and prevent that,” he said.Castillo came to the United States from the Dominican Republic before he was 10 years old, Kaloidis said. The team plans to ask Judge John A. Danaher III for leniency when sentencing Castillo. Kaloidis said Castillo's family, several of whom were present at the trial, were “disheartened” by the outcome but did not have a statement.In an investigation into the crime, police described Castillo and four others leaving Torrington High School's annual dodgeball tournament in March 2012, and deciding to find someone to assault for cash.When the defendants allegedly spotted three 14-year-old boys walking down Workman Avenue, one defendant told Torrington Police Detective Todd Fador that someone in the vehicle said, “they were going to get the three kids walking on Workman Avenue.”The 16-year-old driver told police he attempted to avert the assault and said “no” multiple times. He told police the other defendants jumped out of the vehicle while it was still moving, he estimated at 25 miles per hour, after he'd turned down Workman Avenue. He said he slowed down to avoid injuring the teens jumping out of the vehicle.One of the victims said the defendants jumped out of the car and said, “Where the money.” Another victim reported being punched in the face when defendants realized he didn't have any cash, and pretended to be “knocked out” to avoid further conflict, according to an arrest warrant for Holder.The incident came to light after a high school student overheard a conversation between Gonzalez and a juvenile, about the assault. A parent of two of the boys had immediately reported the alleged incident to police, after one of his sons returned home with a swollen nose and lip.Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault for raping a 13-year-old girl. He is currently serving six years in prison. After Gonzalez was arrested for the Feb. 10 sexual assault, local teens took to Twitter to defend the 2012 Torrington High School football most valuable player and his codefendant, Joan Toribio, 18.During the trial, one of the victims testified that Castillo apologized to him for the assault at a house party about seven weeks prior to the trial.“The thing is, it was good to talk to him, I know he didn't hate me and all that,” he said. “It just gave me a big relief. I felt comfortable talking to him at the time because I was with my friends and we were all just trying to have a good time.”Reach Jessica Glenza at 860-489-3121 ext. 324.